Post navigation

About Jennifer Stackhouse

Recently Jennifer Stackhouse made the big move from Kurmond in NSW to a Federation house in the little village of Barrington tucked beneath Mt Roland in northwest Tasmania. With high rainfall, rich, red deep soil and a mild climate she reckons she's won the gardening lottery. She's taken on an acre garden that's been lovingly planted and tended for the past 28 years by a pair of keen gardeners so she is discovering a garden full of horticultural treasures. Jennifer is the author of several gardening books including 'Garden', which won a Book Laurel for 2013, as well as ‘The Organic Guide to Edible Gardens’, ‘Planting Techniques’ and ‘My Gardening Year’, which she wrote with her mother Shirley. She was editor of ABC 'Gardening Australia' magazine and now edits the trade journal 'Greenworld' magazine and writes regularly for the Saturday magazine in 'The Mercury'. She is often heard on radio and at garden shows answering garden queries.

Each year one of our neighbours, James, arrives on our doorstep with a big leafy branch. Not an olive branch – we are all on good terms so need peace offerings need! No, James is bringing prunings from his bay tree, which he cuts back each year to keep it under control. I lug the branch inside, strip the leaves and dry them to use in the kitchen. Every time I use a handful I am grateful for his generosity. Continue reading →

Last year we lost one of Australia’s leading rare plant collectors and growers, Marcus Harvey. His death left a huge hole not only in his family but also among keen gardeners. Marcus died from melanoma in December. He was 64 years old. Continue reading →

There must have been something in the water in 1927. It was a year that bred long-lived gardeners no matter where they were born. April 1 was garden icon Peter Cundall’s 90th birthday. Later in the year will see other leading Australian gardeners turn 90: my own mother, Shirley Stackhouse; mycologist, author and botanical expert Dr Peter Valder; and Ben Swane, nurseryman, rose grower and gardening expert. And, there are probably many others. Continue reading →

Late last month, Sonja Cameron from Cameron’s Nursery at Arcadia in New South Wales accepted the Nursery and Garden Industry NSW and ACT’s Environmental award. Sonja Cameron is no stranger to awards, she wins them consistently for her strong commitment to sustainability and she is happy to share her story with other growers and gardeners. Some 300 plus visitors come to the nursery each year to look at its sustainable infrastructure. Continue reading →

We did a roaring trade in dahlia tubers at our local flower show at Sheffield in Tasmania in October. Club president Paul Robinson arrived with a picture of a burgundy and white Collarette dahlia and a rubbish bin full of damp compost and sprouting dahlia tubers. They were the result of lifting and dividing several clumps from his garden. Continue reading →

It’s a scary thing to take on a well-known garden. It is even scarier to open it to the public after a major flood event. That what’s happening at Wychwood, Mole Creek, one of Tasmania’s favourite gardens. Earlier this year Melbourne city gardeners David Doukidis and Matt Bendall bought the property from its creators and long-time owners Peter Cooper and Karen Hall. Continue reading →

Like every special interest group, gardeners have their own language. They often turn up in advice from old hands and can leave new gardeners baffled. Take compost heaps: the pride of some gardeners and the bane of others. After wet winter in many parts, those who have a compost heap may find it is on the nose. Continue reading →

“I have two lovely magnolias, a sea view and a husband with a chainsaw,” began the question from one of the women in the audience at the club where I was guest speaker. “He wants to prune the magnolias,” she added. “What should I do?” Continue reading →

Hydrangeas provide welcome summer colour in the garden. In my garden that colour extends well into autumn as the flower heads gradually fade from blue and mauve to pink and green. These old-fashioned plants make a splash in the garden but rarely hit the headlines. This year they made international news and also featured in a good news story. Continue reading →

In late winter and early spring weeds can get the upper hand. These opportunists are quick to get growing to fill the empty spaces left by plants that have been pruned back or died down over winter. They grow fast and flower quickly ensuring they set seed to keep their seed bank in the soil well stocked. Continue reading →

I stumbled upon a weird leafy vegetable in the Subantarctic Plant House in the Royal Tasmanian Botanical Gardens (RTBG). On an already chilly day I made my way into the still colder environment of the Subantarctic Plant House for a glimpse of the native vegetation of Macquarie Island. This special growing environment is kept chilled below 15ºC but above freezing and subjected to the gusty wind and mists that would be found on Macquarie Island, 1,550km south east of Hobart. Continue reading →